Chapter 14: Battle of Pluton III
May 14, 801 WG
Further argument was ended by Lance.
"I don't like this anymore than you do, but Luffy's right. We're running out of time," he said.
"Our captain can't fight right now!" snapped Sanji. "You've made that clear several times already and even insisted he not be the one to light up the magazine."
"I know that. That's why I'm going with him," returned Lance, while running a frustrated hand through his hair. The only sign of the agitation he was feeling over the entire situation. He had told Luffy he couldn't be the torchbearer before. However, they were now staring down the proverbial barrel of the gun and Maryanne's words were rising once more.
"You'll try, but Luffy will beat you to the punch."
She had said in a joking manner. He thought he would just be involved but could she have meant something more direct? He was taking a big risk. Worse, there was no way to prevent Luffy from going without failing. The time was alternatives had past and Luffy would never allow anyone else to go in his place. It would break him if they forced the issue.
Luffy began to protest, as expected, but his godfather cut him off. "I'm not going below deck, but I can draw their fire. The men onboard will be more worried about me than you, particularly if you take advantage of your small size and current lack of flamboyancy."
"What do you mean?" asked Luffy.
"Your reputation is that of a young man who charges screaming and punching into the enemy. If you actually manage to keep a low profile once onboard, all they're going to see is me. I'll try to get them to come after me. That should leave the corridor clear of most of its defenders. There isn't much room for crew, remember? Anyone not working the gun is probably topside in case of boarders, not lurking below."
Luffy didn't like it. Laboon was already taking damage from drawing the fire of the escort fleet while hammering at the bow that was beginning to deform under the pressure. Lance would be doing the same thing once they were on the deck.
"Don't give me that look," said Lance. "I'm going to remind the Marines the reason why they dubbed by Raiju in the first place."
Robin blanched. "Raiju! You're the legendary Thunderbeast of the Marines? The one that could hold down an entire army on his own?"
Jinbei looked equally pale. The others showed their youth in not recognizing the name at all. Or their half century of isolation on a broken ship trapped within a giant fog bank.
Lance gave them a wolfish grin and pulled his wrapped sword from his shoulders. He yanked the cloth off revealing a thick blade that showed the wear of countless battles in its dents and chips but still held its shape, though they doubted the edge had been maintained. The sword didn't look like the type that needed an edge to tear bodies in half. He held the sword aloft in one hand, though it seemed the type that should have required two hands.
"Admittedly, I'm not a melee specialist," said Lance. "In small fights, its better for me to use my fists. Otherwise, my allies get caught up in the attacks. But to cut down armies I need this. Most fighters aren't a bother. Few can reach the level needed to withstand by area attacks."
"How are you not a melee specialist if you have that much power?" asked Usopp going pale.
"I don't have the precisions to only strike the enemy in a mixed engagement. Haku and Kuro can. This is really just the base requirement to keeping pace with those two monsters. I always specialized more in strategy and tactics."
As the crew tried to decipher what he meant by that, Lance reached over and grabbed Luffy's sash, then throwing him over his shoulder. "You have what you need, Luffy?" asked Lance as the young man yelped at the unexpected move. Luffy suddenly felt like he owed Law an apology… and Zoro… and whoever else he had tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It was really not fun. How had his death vision missed that chance to whack him with another selfish action?
"Yeah," said Luffy, checking his pockets for the fire stars and fire dial Usopp had handed over even as he had argued against Luffy going.
"Good. Now once you lot get the Hearts Pirates back up here, start firing on Pluton at regular intervals. Leave two barrels for your escape but don't just stand here and so nothing. Every bit of damage, no matter how small, can be the deciding crack in this ship."
The crew acknowledged his words with a yell then he leapt in the sky, using Geppo to carry him and Luffy onto Pluton's main deck.
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Lance shifted Luffy from his shoulder to behind him with his left arm, keeping the young man hidden with both his bulk and cloak. As he arced into his descent onto the deck, he raised the claymore over his head with his right. The sword was supposed to be wielded with two hands, supposed to be too clumsy and heavy to be handled with just one. He had trained himself to wield the thing one handed as a Marine.
Lance had never allowed his body to go soft in the years since left the Marines and he had made sure that he could always wield his sword one handed when he needed to. He had made sure of it when he had insisted so long ago in wielding a claymore versus the sabers and katana of the rest of the sword corp. Those weapons were just too flimsy to survive his brute strikes.
He filled the blade with haki, infusing his will into the metal and vibrating the air just touching it. He swung down at the deck and an energy blade leapt from the swung sword and struck the wood. Splinters erupted from the impact knocking back several men that had been standing there, preparing for a possible boarding. There were less than he was expecting.
He would need a few minutes of wreaking havoc to draw out any that remained below. He wondered if he could keep Luffy hidden for that long. Probably not, but he would give the Marines far more to worry about than one (former) rubber man.
"You think any of you men can stop me from destroying this ship?" he called out. "Bad enough you're going along with this obscene plot, but for you to actually entertain the belief that you can face me? Hah! You insult me! The ship will be mincemeat and you all are going to be sore come tomorrow. You might as well as throw yourselves overboard now and save yourself the hurt. Though there is nothing you can do about the humiliation you are about to receive."
As he suspected, the Marines onboard were not brainiacs nor were they inclined to challenge authority. Stupid and loyal, they were disposable soldiers meant to carry out the job and be the scapegoats if it all went to hell. A calculated move by the higher officers. Using Pluton was going to kick over some nasty hornets' nests. Either the hornets would be cowed, or they would swarm, and the Marines needed sacrifices to be in place in case they swarmed. These fools didn't even realize they were being used. He almost felt sorry for them, but they were aiding in the massacre of thousands of innocents. There was only so much stupid and blind obedience could excuse.
Lance suspected Fujitora was sent to be in charge of the blockade as a test of the man's loyalty to the Marines. He had caused them a PR nightmare in Dressrosa. They would want to be sure he wasn't a loose cannon that would turn on them in these types of situations. Fujitora was holding his ground, but just barely. It was probably because of Luffy that he hadn't rushed out here. He was betting the young man could pull another miracle like he did in Dressrosa.
The Marines charged at him only to be knocked away by the wind his large claymore kicked up. On a deck crowded with enemies, his attacks were the most effective. One or two enemies and he would have to let them get close and switch to hand-to-hand combat. He lacked the finesse of Dragon and Helgram or the techniques of Maryanne. As a fighter, he wasn't all that special and he would be just as vulnerable indoors as any fighter than required space. Maryanne was the only one that could shine in a crowded corridor. It was his tactical mind that set him apart from the others. Still, in this situation he could more than hold his own.
He spun, swinging Luffy behind him, blocking a blast from a shoulder mounted cannon. In the same motion he sent his godson skidding across the deck toward the hatch then brought the sword down in a high arc. The deck cracked and the shooter was knocked back by the blast. He caught sight of Luffy curled into a ball and tumbling. Marines dove out of the way of what they perceived to be a thrown object rather than a person. They then closed in on Lance. He grinned. Perfect!
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Luffy had been thrown and sent flying hundreds of times in his life. This was the first time since he was a little kid that he recalled it hurting. (Being thrown into a spiked wall didn't count.) However, he had suffered worse pains than the bruising he was getting as he rolled across the deck like a ball.
Lance had tossed him well. He came to a stop near the hatch that would lead to the lower levels. He flattened himself to the deck as a few Marines stormed out. Lance's showy battle had their complete attention and they didn't spare a glance to Luffy who lay unmoving on the deck nearby.
Luffy stretched out his senses while he pressed an ear to the deck, trying to determine how many more Marines were on their way up. When they stopped coming out and he heard no more below, he crept toward the hatch. His old self would have just run down there without all this caution, but his old self was immune to bullets and could attack distant opponents with a punch like a cannon. Two months ago, the narrow corridors would have been more of a problem for the Marines than him.
But he wasn't that man anymore and Lance had done a thorough job in helping him understand that. The man was worse this his grandfather when it came to training people. He understood his current helplessness right down to the marrow of his bones. It was the only reason he was not falling on bad habits now that the battle had started.
He dropped into the lower deck. The gloom of the interior was held at bay by small lanterns spaced down the corridor. Luffy cast his gaze about. The corridor went in two different directions. He was certain he was still too high up in the ship to be near the magazine. His mind struggled to recall Lance's drawings and description of the interior.
They had abandoned the idea of lighting the interior on fire since it was practically a suicide run. Law's ability offered them a much safer alternative. So, Lance had discussed the location within the ship compared to where they would be outside of it rather than go over the corridors and the route within. Luffy hadn't really paid attention to the plan. He wasn't supposed to do much more than wave the flag during the fight. A poor decision with how things had turned out.
Luffy clawed his head as he tried to think about where he was in relation to his target. There was no ladder leading further down where he stood, so he needed to travel down the corridor but which direction? Where had they come down? Near the bow or near the stern? How far had he been tossed again? Luffy felt his head grow hot and his under used brain threatened to boil out his ears.
"Screw it! Just have to trust my gut!" he declared and slammed his fist into his stomach. He had to freeze for a moment as he waited for his diaphragm to remember how to work. He had hit himself just a little too hard. Another consequence of losing his devil fruit.
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Bepo held the ceiling of their sinking submarine with one hand while the other wrapped around his captain's torso. Similar scenes repeated around the deck. Ikkaku or injured crew were being held up so they wouldn't drown, even though it was pointless. Polar Tang was filling with water and sinking. Her engines were gone and the only reason this part of the sub had air was because it was pointed up and didn't have leaks. They were trapped, with no way out.
However, Law's call to the Straw Hats had given them some hope. They were going to try to save them, but Pluton was still on the march and the original plan was in shambles. Law didn't want Luffy to try to save them at the expense of Alabasta and especially his sister and Ann. Bepo hoped that the other pirates had a plan to save them all.
The Straw Hats had always been able to pull of miracles. It was why Law had wanted to ally with them that first time. Could they do it again now?
He heard the clink of metal on metal then the submarine lurched and groaned. The water sloshed within and other yelled in surprise and alarm. If the sub tipped wrong, they would lose what air they had left. However, the sounds coming from outside inspired hope.
The voice that followed made the bear mink's heart soar.
"Are you still alive in there, Law?" It was Jinbei. The former warlord and captain of the Fishman pirates was just outside their ship.
"We're still alive!" called out Bepo. "Don't flip the ship. She's only got air still because of the way she's turned. We'll lose it if she changes direction."
"Understood," called back Jinbei.
Bepo smiled. He didn't agree with the captain's choice to aid Mugiwara in fighting Pluton, but he could appreciate the Straw Hat's refusal to abandon comrades.
Maybe this is why Captain chose to accept a bond of brotherhood with Mugiwara.
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Luffy ran down the corridor. He was leaving everything to instinct and luck; however, his sense of urgency was growing. The interior of the ship was getting nosy, like the sound of Franky's device that shook up the cola to power the coo-do-burst. If this was the sound of machines beginning to power up, then it meant they were within range of Alabasta.
There was no more time to hesitate. Standing still and fretting about his lack of knowledge would be just as damning as if he went the wrong way. At least if he was in motion, he had a chance of finding the magazine before the main gun fired. Besides he wasn't a man to stand around fretting about what he didn't know. It did tend to get him into a lot of trouble, but it also tended to save a lot of lives. There was nothing to be gained by doing nothing.
No one was down in the corridor. Either they had all joined the fight against Lance or were too busy prepping the great cannon of Pluton. The wood beneath his feet vibrated and he nearly tripped as he ran. The whole ship was humming now.
Then a lurch threw him back several paces. Wood cracked, and the lanterns bounced wildly on their hooks. A few even went out, plunging their sections into darkness. Laboon must have hit the ship again.
The humming turned to a whine and Luffy heard shouts of frustration and fright before the machine sounds subsided for a moment. Laboon's ramming was affecting the ship's weapon somehow. Luffy, however, didn't believe it had been stopped. He got up and started running again, diving down a stair when he found one. He let instinct guide him but had the unnerving feeling that he was actually following a half-forgotten memory. The path was feeling more familiar as he moved and the sense of knowing where he needed to go increased with each passing second.
There was no time to wonder about it. He would save such thoughts for later, pushing the unnerved feelings away and out of sight.